A New Life (Sequel to A Friend In Need)
by operationDaalek
Summary: The new family slowly grow closer and help one another out through thick and thin. Adversity threatens to tear them apart but in the midst of it all, they only become stronger. Meanwhile, Fred struggles with growing up and understanding the world around him, and Daisy has trouble adapting to her new surroundings.
1. Chapter 1

As Alec got in the car, his heart raced. He sincerely hoped it wouldn't go off again just like old times. _This isn't the time,_ he thought and gritted his teeth as he drove off at full speed.

Driving along the road, he willed himself not to panic and focused as hard as he could on the road. He tried not to get distracted by Fred's endless questions. "Why are we here? Where are we going? How long before we reach?"

Finally, Tom snapped. "Oh for heavens' sake! Fred, shut your trap!" he exploded. Fred shrank back into his seat, scared.

Tom sighed. "Sorry, Fred, I didn't mean to yell at you. Just be quiet, okay? Dad needs to drive." He ruffled his younger brother's curls apologetically.

At long last, they reached. They got out of the car and Alec grabbed hold of Fred's hand. "Don't let go, okay? Never let go of my hand in a carpark area." He nodded obediently and they walked off.

As they approached their destination, Fred's eyes grew wide with horror. "Is Mummy in there?" he faltered, to which Alec did not reply.

Tom just sighed for the millionth time that day with the air of an ever longsuffering older brother. "Yes, she is. That's why we're here, stupid."

"Hey, don't call your brother stupid," Alec admonished. "Anyway, follow me closely because this building is huge. One wrong turn and I might not find you again for a very long time, you got that?"

At last they reached the right room. He gingerly pushed the door open, dreading what he was about to see.

When they walked in a little further, Fred could not hold it together. His large eyes filled with tears. "Mummy?" he quavered, sniffling a little.

He shook off Alec's hand and ran towards the white hospital bed where Ellie was lying.

"Mummy?" he asked, climbing onto the bed next to her. Of course, she didn't respond.

"Fred, she won't respond to you. That's what a coma is, it makes people sleep so soundly that they can't hear or feel anything around them," said Tom.

"When will she wake up?" asked Fred hopefully. "I wanna play with her."

"Don't know," Alec replied gruffly, shoving his hands roughly into his pockets.

"Maybe we should get her a really loud alarm clock. Then she will wake up. Sometimes I don't wake up on time because I don't hear my alarm," the 7-year-old boy suggested. "What do you think?"

Alec sat down in a chair next to the bed, rubbing his face. "If only it were that simple."

Just then, the doctor walked in. "You must be Alec Hardy," he said, reaching out his hand.

"Yeah, that's me." He gave the doctor's hand a half-hearted shake and sat down again. "So how is she?"

"Still unresponsive. You should talk to her. She can hear you, but she cannot respond at all."

"If she won't respond how do you know she can hear you?" he snapped, irritated.

"I was in a coma once. I heard everything," the doctor informed him. "Anyway, there is a rather large part of her brain that has internal bleeding, and it's gonna take a good while to recover. She's suffered quite a fair bit of brain damage. Thankfully though, she won't be brain-dead. Don't worry, we have very high hopes for her recovery," he said with an encouraging smile.

"You think this is funny?" Alec growled. "My wife is in a coma because of some drunk idiot who didn't know how to change lanes properly and rammed into her and now she's here and you think this is _funny?"_

"No, sir. Sorry, just trying to be encouraging," the doctor apologised quickly. "Well, we think she'll wake up in about 8 months' time. Which is a miracle, considering how hard the car slammed into her."

Alec clenched his fists. "Just wait till I get my hands on that drunk bastard. Ooh, he's got dark days coming."

"Anyway, I'll leave you alone with her now. After you leave I'll give you a call immediately if there are any changes in her response," the doctor promised and left the room, closing the door quietly.

Tom pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the bed. "8 months, bloody hell," he muttered. For once, no one corrected him for his language. "I don't know what I'd do 8 months without her around. She keeps things going at home while you're away at work."

"We'll manage," was the only reply.

Fred, on the other hand, wasn't quite so composed, and was having a lot of trouble keeping it together. "8 months is a long time to be asleep. I want her to wake up," he sobbed.

"The problem is, if we try to wake her up, she won't be able to. You see, a part of her brain that controls certain things is hurt very badly, and now she cannot do those things." Alec tried to explain it as simply as he could.

"Like waking up?" the little boy asked, and Tom nodded. "That's right. She can't open her eyes or move, so we will have to wait until she can. Then when she can move, you can bet your life she'll be up and about in no time because she misses you and all of us. Isn't that right, Dad?" he added on and looked at Alec, who nodded.

Fred turned to Ellie, deathly still on the bed. "Okay, Mummy. You take your time to rest, okay? Don't worry, we will manage fine even if you aren't around to help us. You'll see," he reassured her confidently, and turned to Alec. "Maybe she's just really tired from helping us for so many years and needs a long, long nap. Just like I need naps sometimes."

He couldn't hold it together any more. Alec had had to be strong for the boys' sake all this while, ever since the call from the hospital had come, and right now he felt like he was about to fall apart. He shifted around in his chair uneasily and cradled one of Ellie's hands in his, taking care not to dislodge the multiple tubes that hung from it.

Tom, being the more sensitive sibling, offered to bring Fred to the toilet, and he left the room, leaving Alec next to her, weeping silently.

 _A/N: BROADCHURCH SEQUEL! Here is Chapter 1. What did you think? Let me know in the reviews (: also if you are interested, please do go check out my Doctor Who fanfic, there is already a prologue and the first 2 chapters up. It's gonna be hard writing 2 stories at a time but I'm sure I can get through it. Anyway, let me know whether this was a suitable starting to the sequel. This story is more of how they manage to stick together as a family through tough times and how they slowly grow closer to one another. It also explores the children's lives and how they are coping with growing up. Especially Daisy, because I didn't really focus a lot on her in the previous story. Hope you like it. Chapter 2 is already being typed out as you read this because I CAN'T WAIT (:_


	2. Chapter 2

As they headed home together, Alec sent a text to Daisy telling her that he would pick her up from school later, and that he had news for her.

Later, in the car, he asked her why she hadn't answered her phone when he'd called earlier on in the day.

"Uh, I was in school?" she replied, in a puzzled tone. "Of course I didn't answer. My phone was off!"

Alec chuckled. "Well, Tom answered his phone, so…"

"Oh, please. You know I'm more hardworking than he is. He uses his phone under the desk at school all the time," she giggled. "I can't afford to do that. I've got a scholarship to work towards."

"You're right, I suppose."

"Why'd you call me in the middle of school? Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Oh, Daisy. Far from alright." He gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned right.

"Why? What happened?" Her heartbeat rose.

"Your mother got into a car accident. She's in the hospital comatose right now."

She kept her mouth closed, mainly because she didn't know how to respond. Also, she didn't have the heart to tell him that she still had trouble referring to Ellie as her mother.

"Well…" She spoke at last. "I should go see her, then, shouldn't I?"

"That's what we're going to do right now. I'm taking the road to the hospital, in case you hadn't noticed."

She looked out the window, and sure enough, he had missed the turning where they should have gone, if they wanted to take the road home. She shifted around in her seat uneasily, mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

Back in the hospital room again, he pulled up a comfy chair for her next to the bed. She sat there, staring at Ellie, saying nothing at all for a good 10 minutes.

 _I don't know what to say or do. What do people do when their loved ones get in a coma like that?_ Daisy panicked, and out of nowhere, to relieve the awkwardness, she just started talking.

"It's…it's me, Daisy," she began, awkwardly. She felt stupid talking to someone who couldn't respond, but she continued anyway. "Um…I just got out of school. I'm…I'm here with Dad, I guess he came earlier today but I wasn't there because I didn't pick up his call. So here I am now."

It felt a little better, and she continued, more confidently now. "School was hectic today. I've got three projects and an exam, all due next week. That's madness, isn't it? But then again, I've gotta work for that scholarship. Hey, you're not gonna believe what Amy did during biology class today…"

And just like that, simply and quietly, she told Ellie all about her day at school, just talking.

"I wonder what you're thinking and feeling right now," Daisy mused. "I always wondered what it was like to be in a coma, although I must say I have no intention of finding out first-hand. Tell me all about it when you wake up, alright? It would make a great entry for my English journal. Oh, my teacher's gonna love it. I wonder if you can hear me? If you can, please try to recover as fast as you can, okay?" There was a moment of silence, as if she was expecting a reply, then she abruptly stood up and left the room. Alec hurriedly kissed Ellie's forehead and chased after Daisy.

At home that night, she pulled out her diary from under her mattress and made an entry.

 _I went to visit Mum in hospital today. It came as a total shocker, but then somehow I kind of feel a sense of calm, as if I know for sure everything's gonna be okay again. I know some people never wake up from comas, and the doctor said it would be 8 months before she's back with us again, but somehow I know she can make it earlier than that. After all, she's always been strong, hasn't she?_

 _I don't know what I should be feeling right now. People come up to me and tell me they're sorry that my mother is in a coma, and they tell me not to be sad, but the problem is I'm really not sad. I don't know how to explain it, it's really confusing and complicated. And it's frustrating. Am I heartless?_

She laid down her pen with a sigh and shut the book with a thump, then tucked it safely under the mattress at the spot where her pillow was. She lay awake for a long time afterwards, even after everyone else in the house had gone to sleep.

Next morning after everyone else had gone to school, Alec went directly to the hospital again. He planned to stay there until the afternoon, and then he would pick the kids up from school on the way home. For now, though, it was just alone time with Ellie, just as it had always been when she had still been up and about and when they weren't working.

"Funny how life decided that we needed way more lemons than any normal bloke's fair share," he remarked and chuckled bitterly to himself. "Look at this. I don't understand it at all. Why you? You're the most perfect person on earth." He paused a little.

"I guess life doesn't think the same way I do. But we'll get through this together, both of us. We can show them how we do it. It's gonna be alright."

She didn't respond, of course, and he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

 _A/N: Hey guys, so just to clarify things up a little bit. This is a SEQUEL to a previous story, I've edited the title to reflect that. Sorry about the confusion. If they seem OOC, it's because of the character development in the previous story. I will try to make it stick as much as I can. So if this seems confusing or anything to you, read the previous story first. And if it still doesn't work out, do let me know. Also, sorry if the writing is not very good because currently I'm being bombarded with commitments so updates might be slow, and right now I'm only updating because I feel obliged to. The stress is killing me so I hope you understand (: I will be updating as fast as I possibly can…but even that isn't very fast either. Anyway, see you guys soon, I really can't put a date to the next update because there are way too many things going on right now. Sorry! :(_


	3. Chapter 3

Daisy stirred her oatmeal. She didn't feel like eating in the least.

Her thoughts stirred around her brain with every round the spoon made around the bowl. _They're gonna make fun of me. I hate this. I hate school._

Just then, Alec walked in. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, concerned. She usually had a huge appetite in the morning.

Daisy cracked a smile. "I'm good. No need to worry about me," she reassured him.

"You're not eating. Something is wrong," he insisted. "If you don't wanna talk about it now that's fine, but just know that you can tell me anything, okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled at him again, wider this time. "I have to go or I'll be late for school. See you!" She kissed his cheek and quickly went out of the door so he wouldn't see the expression of dread she had on her face.

He was sharper than she thought, though, and he'd already seen it. Alec was a sensitive man at heart; or at least he'd developed the ability over the years. Caring for three children at once, one needed that level of sensitivity. It often came in handy. And now it indeed came in handy and he sat there, a former detective, trying to decipher what was wrong.

He thought maybe she was having difficulty adjusting to the new school and still not over the loss of her friends after moving over. The move had been difficult for her, he would admit, but she had been very brave throughout. _She's probably cracking from all the bottled-up feelings. I'll talk to her later tonight,_ he thought.

That night, he knocked on her door.

"Yeah?" came the disgruntled reply.

"Can I come in?" he called, and there was the sound of shuffling feet before the door handle turned and it opened a crack. He could barely see the edge of her face.

"Whaddya want?" she mumbled, sounding tired.

"Is it convenient to talk right now?" he asked.

"Awh, if you really want to," she relented and opened the door quickly, then turned her back and walked over to her bed. She threw herself full length across, burying her head in the pillows.

Alec went in and closed the door behind him. "Is everything okay? You don't seem yourself lately. Is it the move?" he probed cautiously.

"Nah, move was fine," she mumbled again. Alec frowned; it really wasn't like her to mumble.

"You getting along fine with Tom and Fred? Have they been treating you badly?" He tried again.

"They're nice," was all she said, more to the pillows than to him.

"Is it school, then?" He promised himself that if she didn't answer this one then he wouldn't ask any more.

To his rather unpleasant surprise, she choked out a sob.

 _So that's it, then. Getting used to a new school,_ he thought, suddenly realising.

"People been bullying you?" he asked gently while rubbing circles on her back, the same way he would comfort Ellie whenever she was sad.

"Oh, Dad, it's so tough," she managed to say before the floodgates opened. She hated breaking down like this in front of him but she couldn't help herself. It was too much pent-up emotion to hold back anymore.

Finally, after a few minutes, she calmed down. She sniffled and sat up. "Sorry about that," she apologised.

"Oh no, don't be. It's fine to cry," he said quickly. "But what is it? What happened in school?"

"It's so tough," she repeated. "It's very different from my previous school. They tease me just because I'm smarter than them and score higher in tests than them. And worst of all, they make fun of me for not having a mother." The tears started to well up in her eyes again. "It's not true! I _do_ have a mother, it's just that, well…" Here she stopped, unsure again.

"And then there's another problem. I'm still not used to calling Ellie 'Mum'. I only call her that because I don't want her to feel like I'm rejecting her. Honestly, I still miss Mum sometimes. I don't know how I could replace her with Ellie," she said, frustrated and confused now.

"I know, I still miss Tess sometimes too," Alec admitted. "But Ellie has helped me grow in so many ways and we've formed a strong bond, and I realise now that she was the one waiting for me all along. Well, I won't force you to accept Ellie as your mum and totally forget about your biological mother, but it's up to you to make the decision who you want to call your mother. And if it's both, or none that's fine too. I just want you to know that your decision is completely valid and if you have any frustrations you can vent them out to me," he advised.

She gave him a big hug. "Thanks Dad. I feel so much better now," she told him. "It's gonna take a long time before I can get used to accepting Ellie as family," she sighed. "And right now I can't even talk to her because…well, it feels weird enough talking to her when she's conscious, but now she can't respond, that makes it ten times weirder." She sighed again.

"I know the feeling," Alec replied. Once when he was a kid, his best friend had fallen into a coma too and he had felt so awkward trying to talk to him that he just gave up.

"Well, I've got homework to finish. Thanks for talking to me." She grinned at him, all smiles again.

"No problem. And by the way, if anyone bullies you, let me know," he instructed and cracked his knuckles.

Daisy laughed. "Don't beat 'em up, please. That would be awful."

"I gotta protect my baby somehow, right?" he asked as he left the room.

 _A/N: Hey guys! So for the first time in forever I finally decided to update. The thing is I'm not sure if I can continue cos I'm just finding less and less inspiration to write this! And I've already made sooo many mistakes. It was just one big balls-up from the beginning. I'm seriously contemplating just restarting the whole damn sequel. Should I? Let me know in the reviews whether I should and also what you think of this (: cheers and see you in the next chapter (if there is one)!_


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